Finland, by contrast, has one of the lowest incarceration rates in the world, which has been in place for over 30 years. There is no correlation between crime rates and incarceration rates. In my opinion, we should decriminalize drug use, get rid of mandatory minimums, and adopt a model much closer to Finland's, where only violent offenders are imprisoned. Those who cause other kinds of harm to others should be required to make restitution to their victims.

First I thought: that's 1% of the population that's not out producing goods, and buying other goods' ie. they're non-productive consumers. Thus, a 1% reduction in GDP.

Then I thought: no, I bet the budget for the prison system (especially the privately-run ones) is counted in the GDP, and considering that the cost of keeping a prisoner can be as much or more than an average wage, it probably shows as a net increase in the GDP. Which just shows how artificial some of these measures are.

Early Arizona prisons ran their own farms, produced needed goods and services costing taxpayers very little if at all. Then the purveyors raised a stink and the state had to purchase milk and other commodities from private enterprise.

The voters of Arizona approved medical marijuana two years in a row and it was ignored both times. There was a rider on that Proposition to release all prisoners who were being held for drug charges with no other crimes against them. This has not happened.